Ohio State study: Declining Social Security benefits keep older men in workforce. The decline in the generosity of Social Security benefits for workers who recently reached their 60s has been the leading cause of the trend toward delayed retirement of older men, a new national study suggests.
Between the periods of 1988-1992 and 2001-2005, there was a 4.7 percentage point increase in the number of men aged 55 to 69 in the workforce.
A study co-authored by David Blau, professor of economics at Ohio State, found that between 25 and 50 percent of that increase can be explained by declining Social Security benefits.
“Older individuals don’t get the same level of Social Security benefits when they retire as they once did, and that has been one reason why a significant number of men continue to work longer than they otherwise might have,” Blau said.
These results give a glimpse of what may happen if the federal government opts to further decrease benefits to shore up Social Security’s bottom line, as many experts expect.CONTACT: Jeff Grabmeier, (614) 292-8457. SEE: http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/socialsecurity.htm

Events

Wetland Month celebration to include announcement of major international environmental conference in Columbus – May 12. Professor Christopher Craft, School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University, Bloomington, will present “Tidal Wetlands and Climate Change” as a 2010 Moonlight on the Marsh Lecture at 5 p.m. on Wednesday (5/12) at the Olentangy River Wetland Research Park, 352 W. Dodridge St.
At the lecture, Bill Mitsch and regional leaders plan to announce that Ohio State and Columbus will be the first U.S. host of the 4th International EcoSummit, scheduled for the fall of 2012, that will bring more than 2,000 of the world’s top ecologists to Columbus for lectures, scientific presentations, displays and Ohio field trips. CONTACT: Bill Mitsch, mitsch.1@osu.edu. SEE:http://swamp.osu.edu/news/Moonlight_Craft10.html

Ohio State Board of Trustees to meet – May 13-14. Ohio State’s Board of Trustees and its committees will meet Thursday (5/13) and Friday (5/14) at the Longaberger Alumni House. The schedule includes meetings on Thursday of the Audit and Compliance and Trusteeship committees from 12:30-2 p.m.; the Medical Affairs and Development and Investment committees from 2:15-3:45 p.m.; and meetings of the Fiscal Affairs and Academic Affairs and Student Life committees from 4-5:30 p.m. On Friday, the formal board meeting begins at 12:30 p.m. CONTACT: Shelly Hoffman, (614) 247-4748. SEE:http://www.osu.edu/news/newsitem2779

Conference looks at needs of Ohio Veterans – May 14 – 15. Demand for health, mental health, and human services for veterans, service members, and their immediate families is expected to grow dramatically in the coming years. A conference at Ohio State will assist those in the helping professions respond to the needs of returning veterans. The Ohio State University College of Social Work and the National Association of Social Workers Ohio Chapter are sponsoring the conference "Responding to the Needs of Ohio Veterans: Essential Tools to Address Those Facing Deployment and Reintegration," on Friday and Saturday (5/14-15) at the Ohio Union, 1739 N. High St. Workshops address military culture, posttraumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, suicide prevention and treatment, women combat veterans, and substance abuse. CONTACT: Frankie Jones-Harris,
(614) 292-3540. SEE:http://guest.cvent.com/EVENTS/Info/Summary.aspx?e=1dd8b407-615b-4d56-b05b-6a72e0adc137